 Yatim (left) standing near the front of the streetcar before being shot by Forcillo (right) | |
| Date | July 27, 2013 |
|---|---|
| Time | Just after 12:00AM |
| Location | Dundas Street and Bellwoods Avenue, Toronto, Ontario, Canada |
| Coordinates | 43°39′03.3″N 079°24′46″W / 43.650917°N 79.41278°W |
| Participants | Officer James Forcillo (shooter) |
| Deaths | Sammy Yatim |
| Charges | Second degree murder Attempted murder |
| Convictions | Attempted murder |
| Sentence | 6 years in prison, paroled after serving 2 years[1] |
| Litigation | $8-million lawsuit filed against Toronto Police Service by Sammy Yatim's family[2] |
The death of Sammy Yatim occurred early in the morning of July 27, 2013, in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Yatim, an 18-year-old Toronto male armed with a switchblade knife, was shot at nine times, and was hit by eight of the shots fired by 30-year-old Toronto Police Service (TPS) officer James Forcillo. After being shot, while lying on the floor of the streetcar he was tasered. He later died from the injuries.[3] The incident occurred after Yatim, brandishing a 12 cm (4.7 in) switchblade knife in a Toronto streetcar,[4] advanced on a passenger,[5] threatened other passengers, and exposed himself.[6] The confrontation between Yatim and the police was recorded and footage of it was released publicly, prompting strong reactions across Canada.[7]
On August 19, 2013, Forcillo was charged with second-degree murder. On July 30, 2014, he was also charged with attempted murder. On January 25, 2016, he was found not guilty of second-degree murder and manslaughter, but guilty of attempted murder.[8] On July 28, he was sentenced to six years in prison.[1] The next day, he was granted bail pending an appeal of the court's sentence.[9] His appeal was denied and he was granted parole after serving 2 years in prison. This incident was the only time an on-duty Ontario officer was charged and convicted in the death of a person since the inception of the Special Investigations Unit (SIU) in 1990.[10]
- ^ a b Lupton, Andrew (28 July 2016). "Toronto officer sentenced to 6 years in streetcar shooting death of teen". CBC News. Retrieved 28 July 2016.
- ^ Hough, Jennifer. Sammy Yatim’s family sues Toronto police for $8-million for using ‘excessive’ force the night of streetcar shooting, National Post, July 23, 2014.
- ^ Alamenciak, Tim (August 24, 2013). "Who was Sammy Yatim?". The Star. Retrieved 2014-07-30.
- ^ National Post Staff Posted: November 20, 2015 Last Updated: Jan 25 2:33 PM ET (November 20, 2015). "A violent end: Tracing Sammy Yatim's standoff with Toronto police:The Final Minutes:How it all began; National Post". nationalpost.com. Retrieved 2016-01-31.
{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link) - ^ CBC News Posted: Dec 22, 2015 11:54 AM ET Last Updated: Dec 22, 2015 1:17 PM ET (December 22, 2015). "Sisters feared knife-wielding Sammy Yatim aboard streetcar, court hears; Canadian Broadcasting Corporation". cbc.ca. Retrieved 2016-01-31.
{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link) - ^ "Sammy Yatim: 'This is a tragedy for all involved,' family says | Toronto Star". Thestar.com. July 30, 2013. Retrieved 2013-08-02.
- ^ O'Neil, Lauren. "Sammy Yatim murder charge sparks strong reaction among Canadians - Your Community". CBC News. Retrieved 2016-01-25.
- ^ Hasham, Alyshah (2016-01-25). "Toronto police officer found not guilty of second-degree murder and manslaughter after firing two volleys of shots at knife-wielding 18-year-old in empty streetcar". The Toronto Star. ISSN 0319-0781. Retrieved 2016-01-25.
- ^ "Toronto police officer guilty in fatal streetcar shooting released on bail pending appeal". CBC News. 29 July 2016. Retrieved 30 July 2016.
- ^ Long, Jamie (2016-07-30). "Why video now plays a major role in probes of deaths linked to police". CBC News. para. 6. Retrieved 2016-07-30.